NEW ELECTRONICS - Interphase Ultrascan PC180

Sonar manufacturer Interphase has a new Ultrascan PC180 ultra-fast multibeam sonar now available in Australia, through Coursemaster Autopilots’ national dealership.

For coastal cruisers, the Ultrascan PC180 sonar is said to be 200 times faster than conventional units and provides "real time" views of the underwater world to the sides and ahead of the boat.

Recreational and tournament offshore anglers will also find the sonar’s update speed an indispensable tool for heading off a fast-moving school of predator fish. "Bluewater fishermen will also find its huge scan coverage invaluable for quickly locating and tracking schools of bait and gamefish or detecting changing bottom conditions and structure," says Coursemaster.

Based on breakthrough digital technology, the new PC180 uses two phased-array transducers with no moving parts. Mounted on either side of the boat’s keel they enable a full 180-degree horizontal scan sector (90-degrees each side of the bow) and allows for easy installation on large cruising yachts, charterboats, trawlers, and other craft with deep or full keels.

Working like an acoustic underwater radar (except much faster), Coursemaster said the new Interphase Ultrascan PC180 functions in three modes:

* Forward Vertical Scanning - Shows a view from the surface directly ahead of the vessel to the bottom below. * Forward Horizontal Scanning - Displays a 180-degree view ahead and to each side of the boat. * Split-Screen View - Has the forward vertical scan on the right and a conventional down-looking (or fishfinder) mode on the left side of the display.

Interphase described the new Ultrascan technology as simultaneously creating all scanning receive beams with every transmitter ping, resulting in speed improvements of up to 200 times over conventional sonars that receive only a single receive beam for every ping. The resulting image is similar to a streaming video, with the entire screen updating many times each second.

Designed for system integration and expandability, the Interphase Ultrascan PC180 connects to onboard PCs or networks via Ethernet and uses. The unit has a forward range of 1200ft and depth to 800ft. RRP is $10,595.